Creator of Breaking Bad says “illegal downloading has helped us”

Just as the demise of Walter White is fresh in the public mind, Vince Gilligan, creator of AMC’s hit show Breaking Bad, talks about the positive and negative sides to illegal downloading.

Breaking Bad is a show that started on January 20 of 2008, is about a chemistry teacher who finds out that he has a severe form of cancer and not much time left to live. Since he has little to leave his family, he decides to cook meth. Since it’s first airing, the show has grown to become one of the most popular shows ever, rivaling other past hits such as the Sopranos.

The season finale aired on September 29, 2013, and only 12 hours afterwards it had been downloaded half a million times, according to Torrent Freak. Since then it has accrued over 3 million downloads, beating out every episode from last year.

Also according to Torrent Freak, Vince Gilligan spoke to the BBC about this subject and the effects it’s had on his show.

“I see that there are two sides to this coin. If I’m being honest I see that the illegal downloading led to a lot of people watching the series, becoming aware of the series who otherwise would not have been,” he said. “I see that in some ways illegal downloading has helped us, certainly in terms of brand awareness, so that’s a good side.”

Vince Gilligan also acknowledges that there is a negative side. “The downside is that a lot of folks who worked on the show would’ve made more money, myself included. But you know, like most things, there’s two sides to the coin,” he said. “We all need to eat, we all need to get paid, and I get paid very well, I can’t complain.”

This is probably one of the most balanced views you will ever hear about TV show/movie piracy. Enjoy it while you can.